Machine for crumbling metallic chips



1969 E. IONESCU MACHINE FOR CRUMBLING METALLIC CHIPS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 21, 1966 Invent 0r":

Em] l lone S c u. v B 24 1 7' AHor-ne s 7 g- 19, 1969 E. IONESCU MACHINE FOR CRUMBLING METALLIC CHIPS 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Nov. 21, 1966 ANN-nay;

Aug. 19, 1969 IONESCU 3,462,038

MACHINE FOR CRUMBLING METALLIC CHIPS v Filed Nov. 21. 1966 4 Sheets-Sher. s

In vemor:

Q Em Ionescu,

A g 19, 1969 E. loNescu 3,462,088 I MACHINE FOR CRUMBLING METALLIC CHIPS Filed Nov. 21, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Em'd Ionescu lm/en tor.

United States Patent 2 Int. Cl. B02c 13/ 04 23/02; B24b 41/00 U.S. Cl. 241-186 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for crumbling metallic chips by the action of a plurality of hammers carried by a rotor and a breaking head through which the hammers pass, chips being delivered in a positive manner to the breaking head by a feeding arrangement composed of pusher rods disposed in a feed tunnel leading to the breaking head region and carrying spurs which are directed toward the breaking head region, the pusher rods being arranged to undergo reciprocating movement within the tunnel so as to continuously feed metallic chips to the breaking head region due to the combined influence of the inclination of the spurs and the reciprocatory movement of the pusher rods.

This invention relates to a machine for crumbling metallic chips (cuttings), using a rotor with hammers, a device for feeding the chips, conveyed by pushers disposed on an inclined plane, so that the metallic chips are fed to the rotor tangentially, against the direction of rotation thereof, and after the chips are crumbled they are passed to a damping grate under the rotor for evacuation.

Machines for crumbling metallic chips are known at which the chips are transported in vertical, inclined, or horizontal direction to the crumbling zone, through a funnel, channels, or feeding means, at which the working elements consist of a rotor with hammers or other crumbling means.

These machines have the disadvantage that the cuttings must fall at the working element by their own weight, having no forced feeding, this having to be done in small batches to avoid stuffing the feeding mouth and plugging the machine, which reduces the working capacity of the machine, which can only crumble only one kind of cuttings.

Machines are also known for crumbling metallic chips which avoid the above described disadvantages, being fed by pulling the cutting with a raking system to the working element. This is realized by arranging that the base of the feeding trough displaces nearly tangentially to the curve of displacement of the rotating hammers of the rotor. In this way, the batches of cuttings transported to the working element, when arriving into the zone of the rotating hammers, are caught and are pulled into the working element. The machine for crumbling metallic chips consists principally of a housing and a rotor, which is provided with hammers, which are moved freely around a bolt, or which is provided with similar crumbling means.

The feeding track consists of a rake with a crankshaft or a band with teeth which moves horizontally, being so disposed in the housing of the machine that its bottom is displaced to the curves described by the rotating hammers. The bottom of the feeding channel is tangent to the circle formed by the oscillating hammers and the bundles of cuttings passed through the feeding device on the bottom of the track are seized at the passing point by the rotating hammers and are transported to the working element, being also drawn along to the crumbling space, consisting of a stationary anvil and a rigid grate, between which the rotor with hammers is rotating.

Patented Aug. 19, 1969 This type of machine has the disadvantage, however, that the feeding device for cuttings, rake type or band with teeth type, does not assure the feeding in the best working conditions and so the productivity is low, as the mechanical system is exposed to rapid wear with frequent plugging.

The present invention does away with the above noted disadvantages. Basically the invention consists of a feeding device, provided with a lateral mouth conveniently inclined, so that the coil of metallic chips would touch the ends of fangs placed upon pushers which work in a tunnel with several chambers. With the aid of these pushers, the cuttings turn 35 from their inlet position and allow a rhythmic and homogeneous advancing step by step on the whole surface of the tunnel, the feeding device leading the bundles of cuttings so that at the outlet of the tunnel they appear in a compact condition, so much compressed that they advance only through the action of the pushers so that at the moment when they come into touch with the grasping elements for crumbling, the cuttings would keep the same advancing rhythmus to the element of the first crumbling phase, which element consists of a breaking head, through which several hammers are passing, mounted upon a rotor, each hammer having eight teeth at its whole circumference disposed one on each side of the center of interior symmetrical recesses in shape of cams at the center of the hammer. Each hammer, having four working positions with two teeth in each position, as it wears, changes its position when the machine restarts, due to the mass difference, which causes, that the unworn part of the tooth comes out in the respective working position, the cuttings being maintained on the crumbling line with the help of a movable device, consisting of lateral disks of the rotor provided with little wings. At the circumference of each disk there are two spurs which prevent the cuttings from coming out of the working area of the rotor, thus avoiding friction on the disks and crowding 'between the rotor and the lateral walls of the machine provided with shieldings. In the second phase, the crumbled cuttings are carried away by the hammers in the interior part of the rotor, where there is a grate with shieldings suspended elastically from the lower housing of the machine through which the crumbled cuttings come out to be discharged and the not sufficiently crumbled ones continue to be carried by the hammers, obliged by the suitable curve of the front part of the upper housing, consisting of cold hardened shieldings, passing successively again through the first and the second crumbling phase.

In case the feeding tunnel is empty and the crumbling device throws cuttings behind the pushers, these bring back the cuttings thrown in the pushing zone, towards the crumbling device with the aid of blades provided in the back of the pushers and activated by a rod driven by a crankshaft.

Below, an example is given of an embdirnent of the invention in connection with the attached figures, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a transveral vertical sectional view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal plane view of the embodiment of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the damping device of the grate of the embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through the damping device of the grate of the embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2.

One embodiment of the machine according to this invention includes a feeding basket 1 (FIGURE 1) having a lateral mouth g, conveniently inclined so that the coil of material consisting of metallic cuttings touches the ends of spurs 2, so disposed upon pushers 3 so that they allow a controlled forward dispacement of the cuttings in an upper chamber 4 and in an interior chamber 5 of the feeding device.

The crumbling of the metallic cuttings is done by means of a breaking head 6 through which pass hammers 7, mounted on a rotor 8, each hammer having on its circumference eight teeth d disposed one on each side of the center of each of the four recess a symmetrically arranged in the form of cams at the center of each hammer 7.

The machine is further improved by the provision of a unit for discharging the back remaining cuttings and consisting of four raking blades 9 for the cuttings which are collecting at the back of the feeding device.

The machine is interiorly shielded by some plates 10 (FIGURE 3) fixed on two sides of an upper housing 11 and some shielding plates 12, disposed on two sides 13 of a grate 14 which fixes its backside and protects the lower housing 15 against wear. The grate 14, together with the plates 12 and the lateral sides 13, is elastically suspended from the lower housing 15 by two axles 16 (FIGURE 4) on which there are four bolts with rings 17, in which there are four bushings 18 which glide in a guide 19 of the interior housing.

The four bolts with rings 17 rest by means of springs 20 upon some plates 21 applied on the interior housing 15 so that the elastic suspension of the grate 14- avoids deteriorating of the elements inside the machine through hard metallic parts, which enter between the rotor 8 and the grate 14 and helps for the functioning of the machine in case an agglomeration of metallic cuttings enters into it.

In order to maintain the metallic cuttings on the working surface of the rotor 8 which cuttings have the tendency to spread out when coming out from the chamber 5, on both ends of the rotor two disks 22 (FIGURE 3) are mounted on the circumference of which four spurs 23 with a convenient curve are symmetrically disposed, as well as eight little blades, disposed four by four on the sides of the same disks 22. This system of spurs and little blades, which are mounted on the moving parts of the machine, prevents the cuttings from coming out of the working area of the rotor, avoiding unnecessary friction and at the same time the agglomeration of metallic cuttings between the rotor 8 and the side walls of the machine.

Due to the temperature variations which take place during the operation of the machine, the rotor shaft 8 expands and contracts, thus damaging the ball bearings inside the two bearings 25. In order to prevent this disadvantage and to avoid the entrance of fine metallic chips into the interior of the housing of the bearing of the rotor, each of the bearings consists of a housing in which thrust bearings 26 are mounted having the interior ring free in the rollers and a thrust bearing 27 fixed with one half upon a lid 28 and with the other half fixed upon a spring device 29 which takes care of expansion and assures axial control.

The rotor bearings have also on their sides a system 30 for driving back the small chips particles, consisting of double lids 31, provided with opposed threads.

The machine starts driven by an elastic system consisting of an electric motor 32 and a coupling 33, and it is fed by means of a crankshaft system consisting of a bar 34 (FIGURE 2) a connecting rod 35, which glides in a slide-bar 36, a crank 37, a coupling 38, a speed reducer 39 and an electric motor 40.

The machine, according to the invention, has the following advantages:

(1) It allows a continuous feeding of the machine with all kinds of metallic cuttings for crushing;

(2) It allows the rhythmical breaking of the cuttings and the prolongation of the service life of the hammers due to uniform wear of the teeth on their whole peripheric exterior part;

(3) It eliminates the possibility of destroying the housings by wear, due to their interior shielding;

(4) It allows the grate to yield in case hard metallic pieces and agglomerated metallic cuttings are introduced between the grate and the housing due to the elastic system of the grate;

(5) It allows the cuttings which collect at the back side of the feeding system to be evacuated continuously, thus avoiding the damaging of the driving system.

I claim:

1. A machine for crumbling metallic chips, comprising in combination:

(a) breaking head means upon which metallic chips may be crumbled;

(b) rotor means rotatably mounted adjacent to said breaking head means;

(c) chip input and feeder means communicating with said breaking head means for receiving such metallic chips and for feeding such chips onto said breaking head means, said chip input and feeder means including a feed tunnel extending to said breaking head means, pusher rods having spurs disposed thereon and mounted for reciprocating movement within said feed tunnel, said spurs being directed toward said breaking head means, and means connected for reciprocating said pusher rods to continuously feed such metallic chips to said breaking head means;

(d) a plurality of hammers mounted on said rotor means for striking such metallic chips fed onto said breaking head means to crumble the chips, each of said hammers having a plurality of surfaces defining working positions and being mounted on said rotor for moving to a new Working position each time the rotor is stopped and subsequently restarted; and

(e) chip output means including an elastically mounted grate disposed for receiving and passing chips which have been crumbled on said breaking head.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said chip input and feeder means further comprise a chip input chute, said feed tunnel extends between said chip input chute and said breaking head means for receiving chips from said chute, and said chip input chute is disposed at an angle of 35 to said feed tunnel.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said hammers each comprise a hollow annular body having surfaces defining four working positions on the periphery thereof, each of said surfaces containing tWo teeth, there being an opening in said hollow annular body for rotatably mounting said hollow annular body on a shaft of said rotor in such manner as to cause the working position thereof to change each time the rotor is stopped and subsequently restarted.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 and further comprising discs attached to said rotor for retaining such metallic chips in the working area of said rotor.

5. The combination defined in claim 4 and further comprising guide means surrounding said rotor for returning chips which are not sufficiently crumbled back to said crumbling head for further crumbling due to the rotation of said rotor.

6. The combination defined in claim 5 wherein said rotor is journalled for rotation on a shaft, and further comprising journal means coupled to said shaft, said journal means including a housing, a roller bearing within said housing, a thrust hearing within said housing, spring means bearing against said thrust bearing, and a pair of lids closing the ends of said housing, said pair of lids being attached to said housing by means of screw threads, and the screw threads of said lids being of opposed sense.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein said elastic grate comprises a rigid grate member, two axle members supporting said grate member, and spring means supporting said two axle members at their ends so that 6 said rigid grate member is elastically yieldable in response 3,186,651 6/1965 Briolini 241243 X to pressure exerted on said rigid grate by such crumbled 3,326,478 6/ 1967 Van Endert 241-186 11' h' meta C 1P8 FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited 5 277,595 9/1927 Great Britain. UNITED STATES P S 400,001 11/1942 Italy.

1,103,727 7/ 1914 Abbott 241222 FRANK T. YOST, Primary Examiner 1,424,922 8/1922 Knittel 241-196 X 1,648,747 11/1927 Stoner 241-193 X 2,261,090 10/1 41 Lind 241-243 X 10 241 190, 193, 290 

